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rafuy Mouay */■ ■ <- • < A,..- *** Cloudy and mild. High in the low 70s. Low in the 50s. THIS ISSUE Copyright C IW9 Forsyth Canty Newt Sports Racing runs in the family for local brothers. Page IB Puzzles brand lh=Fli=rlz=rlh=rlh7 □ □□□□□□ r- HBEJBESHsu- L □ □□□□□□ r- OEOSI3OO L □□□□□□□ Test your word skills with Scrabble Grams and Wonderword. Page IB LAKE LANIER LEVELS 2 Date Level Octi 1062.43 ft Oct 2 1062.37 ft Oct 3 1 062.33 ft Oct 4 1062.25 ft „ Nonna! 1070.00 ft: Business - 1 > ] »* i n ' v St'lJ W* vji $ ill Local DOT projects get a new boss. Page6A INDEX Abby .8A Business 9A Classifieds .4B Deaths .2A Events. .~JSA Horoscope 8A Legals 3A Opinion 14A Sports IB COMING THURSDAY Great Outdoors Our monthly section takes ■ a look at outdoor recreation opportunities. Missed paper policy: For a replacement paper, call 8 am. - 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, ■ Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. -1 p.m. on Sunday - (770) M7-312C. OHT Forsyth Count vNews J Your "Hometown Paper” Since 1908 I GEORGI PROJECT * • UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA Vol. 20, No. 147 * J : *JBU® TV s ’ mu* Br/ r 9 'Wwl flL* r * Etdxi HiA^B^MRKMuRIi^HHKHRRRHBMfIHHML—______ Photo/Scott Rogers Smiling faces Norma Jean paints the face of Danielle Holder, 6, during grand opening festivities at Pikes Nursery on Saturday. Story page 6A. Rain helps, but not enough County water ban remains in place; many boat ramps on Lake Lanier still out of water as overall dry year continues By Jim Riley Staff Wnter With cooler weather and rains visiting the Forsyth County area during the past few days, county officials are considering lifting the mandatory odd-even watering ban that went into effect during the hot summer months. “The demand for outdoor watering is going way down,” said Tim Perkins, director of the Forsyth County Water and Sewer Department. He added the county w " ,r y to coordinate eliminat ing the bar in conjunction with the city of Cumming, so that the county doesn't lift the ban while the city still has one in place. Eventhouf’ ne a* pply situation is improving, Settles Bridge Elementary enjoys a smooth opening By Laura Lavezzo Carrico Lifestyles Editor The freshly scrubbed floors at Settles Bridge Elementary School were flooded with almost 600 Forsyth County school children Monday as they set foot for the first time in the new facility. Heavy morning rains may have can celed the scheduled flag-raising ceremony to observe the first day of school but had lit tle effect on the spirits of the children and their teachers, said Facilities Director Jake Grant. “It's a celebration those kids are so excited,” Grant said. “The place looks great. The landscaping is in and the contractor is done.” Grant added that Monday’s down pour was a great test for possible roof leaks. “I’m kind of a purist and I wanted everything to be perfect. The good thing is, everything works and they were comfort able,” he said. Because of the storms, timing for the move-in could not have been better, said -; ~- - -,'jß ES9MS@ojKt| t\ rasim fc 1 liHW jMOI I M*g«J ffiflULfliißllll 1 liSriß NHDSMKIBHkI IfWrl Jj IE oHtK wjMn y Is jJ| jk a | r Photo/Tom Brooks Rides for the Cumming Country Fair & Festival arrived in town Monday for assembly in prepara tion for Thursday night’s opening. Admission will be free opening night. WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 6, 1999 Lake Lanier water levels fell to 1,062.25 feet on Monday. The normal level for this time of year is 1,070 feet. According to Memphis Vaughan, hydraulic engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers headquarters in Mobile, Ala., if dry weather continues this fall the lake could drop by as much as 6 inches per week. Vaughan said that figure represents a worst-case scenario, adding that any rain the area receives would help offset the lake level’s decline. Vaughan added that navigational releases have ended, with the last coming Aug. 19. In an interview last month. Lanier Chief Ranger See RAIN, Page 2A Paula Gault, associate superintendent of schools. “It was not a good day to be in a trailer,” Gault explained, “and all but the youngest children were in mobiles” on the campuses of Big Creek and Daves Creek elementaries prior to the new building’s completion. Principal Mary Harwell agreed that, despite the natural confusion of merging two schools together, the move went smoothly. “We can always count on the rain to make our day brighter,” she reflected. “It was nice not to have to traipse back and forth between the trailers, and our children felt safe and secure in the building.” Harwell transferred to Settles Bridge from Daves Creek Elementary last year. Debbie Sarver, former assistant principal at Big Creek Elementary, is assistant principal at Settles Bridge. The flag-raising ceremony canceled Monday due to the rain was to be held on See SCHOOL, Page 2A |L f ' "I ■Elik M - - Photo/Scott Rogers Raider royalty North Forsyth High School held its annual homecoming celebration Friday night, including the crowning of Amanda Hubbard and Jimmy Graham as homecoming queen and king. Annual Country Fair kicks off on Thursday Free admission offered opening night By Joda Browning Staff Writer The much anticipated Cumming Country Fair & Festival starts tomorrow. “We’re ready,” says Fairgrounds Administrator Dave Horton. “The gates will open at 4 p.m.” Horton adds that everything is going as planned and the only aspect left to worry about is the weather. The National Weather Service is predicting mild tem peratures with partly cloudy conditions with a chance of a thunderstorm this weekend. This year the midway is paved, making rainy conditions less threatening. In past years, Deputy OK after being hit by suspected drunk driver Protective vest helped avert serious injury By Colby Jones Staff Writer A Sheriff’s Office deputy is expected to fully recover from injuries received when he was struck Saturday night by a suspected drunk driver while investi gating an acci dent scene. Authorities ron ilk Giordano said Deputy Michael Giordano, 23. was searching for evidence about three feet off the shoulder of Hyde Road near the Summerwalk subdivision when he was struck at 11:45 p.m. by a 1997 Ford Expedition. “It took a 240-pound man and threw him 25 feet,” said Cpl. Horace Perry. “That takes a lot of energy and speed.” The driver of the Expedition Arthur Failla, 41, of Cumming was charged with driving under the influence and weaving on the roadway. Despite the force of the impact, Giordano suffered only ligament damage in his left elbow and bruising to his face. ■ J head and back. He probably will undergo surgery on the elbow. Perry said. Officers credited a protective vest with helping to reduce the seriousness of the deputy’s injuries, saying the vest distrib uted the impact of the vehicle in much the same way as it would a bullet. Giordano was transported to Baptist Medical Center in Cumming, where he was treated and released. According to witnesses, Failla continued traveling down Hyde Road after hitting the deputy. Another officer at the scene witnessed the accident and chased down the sport utili ty vehicle. Failla’s wife and three chil dren also were in the vehicle with him. They live nearby and apparently were on their way home, said Perry. No one in the Expedition was injured. Detention officers later released Failla from custody on a $1,700 bond. The Georgia State Patrol is investigating the accident and will file any additional charges. Giordano joined the Sheriff’s Office in October 1997. rainy days forced visitors to deal with muddy conditions as they stepped from the ground onto the rides and off again. Fair patrons now have the luxu ry of stepping from asphalt to their ride of choice. A huge crowd is expected to take advantage of the free admission offered Thursday, with unlimited rides available • all night long for $lO. Exotic creatures and per forming elephants are usually hard to find in Cumming, but not this week. Performances by Baboon Lagoon, Farmyard Frolics, Frisco Brothers Petting Zoo and Performing Elephants See FAIR, Page 3A